By Andrew Bansal
A two-piece collaboration between a singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta (Steve Moore), and a musician/producer based out of Portland, Oregon (Casey Braunger), He Is Me is a true example of the evolution of music in the 21st century, as this kind of long-distance union is now easily achieved. Moore and Braunger’s musical association with each other dates back to 2001, and in 2016 they formed He Is Me as a new project to demonstrate their taste and skill for industrial, ambient modern rock/metal. Whilst they work on their full-length debut album, He Is Me have released a single plus music video called ‘Cleansing’, and give listeners a great glimpse of what to expect from their sparkling collaboration in the near and distant future.
Lyrically inspired by themes centering around social activism, ‘Cleansing’ a is dark and intense tune, and the video reflects its mood perfectly with visual sequences of riots and fires. The vocal lines, ‘This house needs a fire, this town needs a crier’ are repeated for most of the song and act as the focal point and driving force, succeeding in its intention as one can feel the tension building with every repetition. Moore’s vocal delivery excellently expresses the anguish the song aims to portray, and Braunger’s musical composition is just as stellar in the arrangement of the various instrumental layers. Two-piece bands and projects embody the new standard set by humanity in the field of music, by being able to achieve results equal to or better than that of bands with more members. He Is Me is the newest representation of this, and a splendid one at that.
‘Cleansing’ stands strong as its own entity, hence justifying its release as a single, and raises anticipation for He Is Me’s impending full-length album which one hopes would see the light of day sooner than later. For fans of modern-tinged hard rock/heavy metal as well as dark, progressive, experimental and ambient styles of heavy music, He Is Me’s ‘Cleansing’ hits a home run and carries strong repeat value.
Rating: 8.5/10
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Release Date: March 20th 2017
He Is Me links: facebook | soundcloud